Health Related Articles by Terry Hollenbeck, M.D.

Archive for August, 2014

As part of my cancer treatment journey, I have developed a pretty severe case of peripheral neuropathy of my feet. I was warned that the chemotherapy could cause neuropathy, but I didn’t know it would be quite this uncomfortable.

Peripheral neuropathy is caused by damage to certain nerves — mostly the sensory nerves — which deal with touch, pain, and heat. Most of the time, the problem starts in the fingers and toes and can worsen to include the feet, legs, and hands.

Causes of peripheral neuropathy include:

– Diabetes (the most common cause).

– Chemotherapy.

– Alcoholism.

– Vitamin deficiencies.

The most common symptoms are:

– Pain, burning or tingling of fingers, toes, hands and feet.

– Muscle weakness and balance problems.

– Loss of sensation to touch.

– Difficulty using fingers for tasks such as buttoning one’s clothing.